Projectile used in staging a bloodless bullfight



I. FELD ETAL Feb. 27, 1968 PROJBCTILE USED IN STAGING A BLOODLESS BULLFIGHT Filed July 7, 1966 BVW United States Patent 3,370,853 PROJECTILE USED IN STAGING A BLOODLESS BULLFIGHT Irvin Feld and Israel Feld, both of 4501 Connecticut Ave., NW., Washington, D.C. 20008 Filed July 7, 1966, Ser. No. 563,611 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-4065) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and means whereby banderillas and pointed projectiles used during a bullfight can be properly and effectively propelled toward the bull and attached to its hide, without in any way piercing its hide and thus without drawing any blood. A first and second inter-engageable cooperating interlocking means are provided. The first of said interlocking means is secured to a selected area of the bull while the other of said interlocking means is secured to the end of an elongated projectile to be propelled toward the bull. The inter-engaging means on the projectile, such as a banderilla, will contact and interlock with the interengaging means on the bull. The projectile will, thereby be coupled to the bull itself, thereby simulating the appearance of the projectile actually piercing the bulls hide.

This invention relates to the art of bullfighting and more particularly it relates to a means whereby a bullfight can be carried out with all of its ritualistic movements yet wherein the bull is neither killed nor harmed in any way.

As is well known, the sport of bullfighting is particularly popular in Latin countries, such as Mexico, Spain and the like. In such countries, the spectacle of the bullfight offers a means of entertainment which is unsurpassed for excitement, bravery and drama. However, the art of bull fighting has never been introduced into the United States to any degree, namely because many North Americans feel that a bullfight is somewhat cruel, with the bull being stabbed during the various rituals and finally killed in the finale.

It is believed that the art of bullfight can be greatly enjoyed within the United States and that such an art will come to be widely accepted as a source of entertainment provided that (1) the bull itself is not harmed in any way and (2) the spectacle itself closely simulates the ritual, movements and maneuvers of a true bullfight. In other words, a North American bullfight must be bloodless, yet must follow all of the true ritual of a real bullfight, thereby enabling the spectators to enjoy the artistry, fluid movement and excitement.

To understand the difiiculty in staging a bloodless bullfight, it must first be appreciated that in a true bullfight, the very nature of the ritual requires that a certain amount of the bulls blood be drawn as his hide is pierced. There is an enlarged hump at the base of the bulls neck muscle, such hump being generally centered along the bulls back and between its front legs. This hump is also known as a morillo and during the initial stage of the bullfight, various pointed projectiles are inserted into the morillo as a part of the ritual. In particular, a series of banderillas are inserted into the morillo, with such banderillas being elongated decorated wooden sticks having metal barbs on the end thereof. These banderillas are inserted into the morillo by a banderillero, i.e., that person who places or positions the banderillas. Three pairs of banderillas are placed in the morillo during each fight, and various colored ribbons or tails flutter tom the handles of the banderillas as the bull charges about the ring, thereby giving an exciting and attractive appearance. Naturally, in a true bullfight the placement of these banderillas causes a certain amount of blood to flow from the bull, as the pointed barbs on the ends of the banderillas pierce the bulls hide. Then, after the banderillas have been properly placed by the banderillero, they hang freely downwardly under their own weight, yet do not become displaced from the bull because of the engaging action of the barbed end.

Naturally, to keep the true style and ritual of the bullfight, the placement of these banderillas cannot be dispensed with, even in a bloodless type of North American bullfight. In fact, since the placement of such banderillas forms the whole initial part of the bullfight, much of the excitment and pageantry would be lost if this portion of the fight had to be omitted.

With the foregoing matter in mind, it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a means whereby a bloodless bullfight can be effectively staged.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby banderillas and other pointed projectiles used during a bullfight can be properly and effectively propelled toward the bull and attached to its hide, without in any way piercing its hide and thus without drawing any blood.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved projectile device for use in a bloodless bullfight, such device being capable of attachment to the body of a bull, without in any way harming the bull or without even piercing its hide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for staging a bloodless bullfight wherein no feature of the pomp, pageantry and ritual of a true bullfight is omitted, but yet wherein the fight itself is entirely humane and wherein no blood is drawn from the bull.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for staging a bloodless bullfight which nevertheless is a full and complete simulation of a true bullfight and wherein'the spectators do not and cannot observe the fact that any pointed projectiles utilized are not actually inserted or penetrated through the bulls hide.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

The foregoing objects are attained by providing a first and a second inter-engageable cooperating interlocking means. One of such interlocking means is secured to a selected area of the bull while the other of said interlocking means is secured to the end of an elongated projectile to be propelled toward the bull. Such projectile, for instance, can be the banderillas described hereinabove, and when such a banderilla is propelled toward the bull, the interengaging means on the banderilla will contact and interlock with the interengaging means on the bull, thereby serving to couple the banderilla or projectile to the bull itself, thereby simulating the appearance of the projectile actually piercing the bulls hide and sticking into the bull Whereas, in fact, the same is merely attached to the surface of the bulls hide.

Preferably, the interengaging means of the present invention is formed of a material commercially obtainable under the trademark Velcro. A material of this type is described in detail in Swiss Patent No. 295,638 and in United States Patents No. 2,717,437 and 3,009,235. As can be understood by reference to such patents, and as will be described in more detail hereinafter, such material includes a first sheet having a multiplicity of small outwardly projecting flexible filamentary loops and a cooperating sheet having a multiplicity of small outwardly projecting flexible filamentary hook members, whereby when said sheets are pressed into contact with one another, the hook members on one sheet will engage releasably with the loops on the other sheet, thereby serving to couple or fasten said sheets together. By providing one such sheet on a bull to be utilized in a bullfight, and by pro viding a cooperating type of sheet on the end of a projectile to be directed toward the bull during the course of a bullfight, the result is such that the projectile will become coupled to the bull thereby giving the simulation that the same has actually pierced the bulls hide, when, in fact, the end of the projectile is only fastened against the sheet carried on the surface of the bulls hide.

Referring now to the drawings: 7

FIGURE 1 is aside elevational view of a bull having a projectile coupled to him in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view, in enlarged scale, showing a projectile being propelled toward an engaging means normally carried at a selected area on the bulls hide; and, 7

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view showing the normal position of the projectile after the same has been coupled with the engaging material carried by the bull.

In FIGURE 1, one-half of an interlocking means generally designated 10 is secured to a bull across his neck hump or morillo. An axially elongated member or projectile generally designated 12, such as a banderilla, is provided at its outermost end with the second half of an interlocking means 14. When the one-half 10 of the interlocking means and the other half 14 of the interlocking 'means are brought into contact with one another, the

same releasably engage with one another, thereby serving to couple .the banderilla or projectile 12 to the bull.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 2, it will be seen'that the interlocking means 10 includes a sheet of material 16 which is preferably formed of some suitable black fabric. In the form shown herein, a plurality of clusters of tiny loops 18 project outwardly from the outer surface 20 of the sheet 16; The loops are formed of monofilaments fabricated of suitable synthetic resinous material and the method and means by which such loops are manufactured is described in detail in the aforementioned United States patents and the aforementioned Swiss patent. Preferably, the, filamentary loops 18 are likewise colored black so that the overall elfect of the sheet 16 and the loops 18 is to present an appearance which simulates almost exactly the appearance of av bulls hide. The inner surface 22 of the sheet 16 is applied over the morillo of the bull, or any other selected area, on the bulls hide, and is preferably secured thereto by suitable adhesive means.

Turning attention to the member of projectile 12, the same includes an axially elongated rod 24 having an outermost terminal end 26. The interlocking means 14 includes a sheet of flexible material 28, similar to the sheet 16 previously described. The inner surface of the sheet 28 is adhered to the end 26 of the rod 24, preferably by suitable adhesive means, but, if desired, by any suitable mechanical means such as stapling or the like. The outer surface 32 of the sheet 28 carries. a series of outwardly projecting filamentary hooks 34 fabricated of the same or a similar material to that aforementioned in connection with the loops 18. In fact, one method of forming the hooks 34 is by removing a portion from the side of a loop, such method being described in the aforementioned United States and Swiss patents.

Although both the loops 18 and the books 34 are fabricated of filamentary plastic material, such material is highly flexible andra great number of each of such members are provided upon their carrying or backing sheets.

' Such a number is far in excess of the amount shown on 'the drawings herein, and as a result thereof, when the sheets 28 and 16 are moved relatively toward one another, the slightest contact between the hooks 34 and the loops 18 will cause an interlocking and adhering action. Such interlocking action is due to the fact that the hooks 34 actually engage into the loops 18, but due to the flexibility of such hooks and loops, if the sheets 16 and 28 are moved relatively apart, the books 34 will deform slightly to disengage from the loops 18. Thus, it willv be seen that acting in concert, the loops 18 and hooks 34 serve to provide a highly efiicient fastening or interengaging means which can-be readily released merely by the exertion of manual pressure.

An auxiliary attaching or engaging means generally de- 'signated 36 is provided on the rod 24 extending axially therealong from the outermost end 26. The auxiliary means 36 includes a sheet 38 formed of material similar to the sheets 16'and 28. The sheet 38 carries a series of hook members 34 which are identical with the hook members 34. The sheet 38 can be wound helically about the rod'24 and can be attached thereto by adhesive means or other suitable attaching means.

The rod 24 is preferably of a uniform cross-sectional area or width along its entire axial length, but in any event, its smallest width dimension taken perpendicularly to its elongated axis can be designated T, as shown in FIGURE 2. Similarly, the interengaging means 14, which actually forms a pad or button attached to the end of the rod 24, has a width or dimension perpendicularly to the axial rod 24, and such width is designated X in FIG- URE 2. In any event, the width X of the pad 14 should I be at least twice as great as the minimum thickness T of the rod 24. In this way, it is assured that a portion of the pad will always flexibly extend beyond the solid end 26 of the rod 24. I

As can also be seen in FIGURE 2, the auxiliary engaging means 36 extends along the rod 24 for a distance designated Y. This distance Y should exceed one half of the distance X, whereby'even if the pad 14 is folded back axially along the rod 24, the inner surface 30 will not entirely cover the sheet 38, and thus at least some hooks 34' will remain exposed.

Before describing the manner in which the method of the present invention is carried out, it must be stressed that the means 14 and auxiliary means 36 must be of the same type of interlocking character, i.e.,' either all hooks or all loops. It will also be understood that the various filamentary hooks cooperate with the various filamentary loops much in the same manner as a male connecting member cooperates with a female connecting member. In

other words, it will be understood. that the interlockingthe same, since in such event, there would still be a cooperative compatible engagement of interlocking members.

Now, to understand the manner in which the. method of the present invention is carried out, it will be remembered that the sheet 16 is to be secured to a selected area along the bulls hide, such as the morillo. Due to' the fact that the sheet 16 and its attached loops 18 are colored black or some other color suitably compatible with'the coloring of the bulls hide, the spectators will" not even realize that the same is attached to the bull; Then, one

of the participants in the bullfight, such as a banderillero, takes a projectile such as a banderilla 12 and propels the same toward that preselected portion of the bulls body to which the sheet 22 was attached. The arrow 40 in FIG- URE 2 represents the direction in which the projectile 12 is propelled. 1

As soon as the hooks 34'on the sheet 28: make contact with the loops 18 on the sheet 16, there is some immediate interlocking therebetween. However, since the rod 24 is somewhat elongate, the'force of gravity tends to cause the same to swing downwardly. When this occurs, as shown in FIGURE 3, the auxiliary hooks 34 will interengage and interlock with the loops 18, thereby assuring that the member 12 will remain coupled with the bull. The utility of the auxiliary means 36 will also become apparent when it is recognized that, in use, the projectile 12 is not necessarily manually pressed against the bull, but instead, is sometimes thrown through the air a short distance. Thus, it would not be uncommon for only a portion of the hooks 34 to engage with the loops 18, thereby causing the initial interlocking. However, even after such initial interlocking, when the rod 24 swings downwardly due to its own gravitational force, the hooks 34' will engage with the loops 18 to form a secondary interlocking. This efi'ectively assures that the projectile 12 will remain coupled to the bull Once any contact is made between any hook means and any loop means and the projectile 12 will not inadvertently drop from the bull. However, as aforementioned, if it becomes desirable to remove the project'de 12, a mere manual force need be applied to release the interengagement between the hooks and loops.

As wfll be apparent from the foregoing matter, the use of the present invention enables a bloodless bullfight to be staged, but during the staging of such bullfight, the movements and rituals can virtually identically simulate those carried out during a real bullfight, and the spectators will not even realize the difference, unless this fact is advertised to them. The member or projectile 12 shown in FIGURE 3 carries a series of decorative tails or streamers 42, as is customary for banderillas and the like. However, it will be understood that the principles of the present invention are not only limited to the use of a banderilla type projectile, nor to the placement of the interconnecting means solely on the morillo of the bull. Thus, for example, if desired, a small portion of the interlocking means 19 can be provided on the bulls forehead and a similar cooperating portion 14 can be provided on the end of the matadors sword. In this way, even the kill of the bull can be simulated without in any way harming the bull or drawing any blood from it.

After reading the foregoing detailed description, it should be apparent that the objects set forth at the outset of the specification have been successfully achieved by the present invention. Accordingly,

What is claimed is:

1. An elongated projectile for use in a bloodless bullfight and the like, said projectile comprising;

an axially elongated rod having an outermost end of substantially uniform diameter along a foresection thereof;

a sheet of material having opposed surfaces, the innermost of said surfaces being directed toward the outermost end of said rod;

means securing said innermost surface to said outermost rod end;

said sheet of material also having an outermost surface;

said sheet of material having a dimension perpendicular to the axis of said rod at least twice the smallest dimension of said rod perpendicular to its own axis; and

engagement means coupled with said sheet and projecting beyond said outermost surface;

said engagement means being formed of a multiplicity of flexible monofilaments formed of synthetic resinous material and being adapted to releasably inter-engage with another sheet having a cooperating engagement means.

2. An elongated projectile for use in a bloodless bullfight and the like, said projectile comprising an axially elongated rod having an outermost end; a sheet of material having opposed surfaces, the innermost of said surfaces being directed toward the outermost end of said rod; means securing said innermost surface to said outermost rod end; said sheet of material also having an outermost surface; engagement means coupled with said sheet and projecting beyond said outermost surface; said engagement means being formed of a multiplicity of flexible monofilameuts formed of synthetic resinous material and being adapted to releaseably interengage with another sheet having a cooperating engagement means; and an auxiliary sheet of material extending axially along said rod from said outermost end, said auxiliary sheet having said engagement means coupled therewith.

3. An elongated projectile as defined in claim 2 wherein said auxiliary sheet extends along said rod for a distance in excess of one half the dimension of said sheet of material perpendicular to the axis of said rod.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1961 Pena 119-143 5/ 1962 Lemelson 273 

